Category: Magazines

The Epic Untold Saga BehindFRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY (1973)Explodes in the Special New Issue ofLITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS #38

by Sam Irvin

I’ve been a fan of Frankenstein: The True Story ever since it was first broadcast on NBC-TV in two parts in 1973. First of all, the cast was incredible: James Mason, Leonard Whiting, Michael Sarrazin, David McCallum, Jane Seymour, Nicola Pagett, Agnes Moorehead, Sir Ralph Richardson, Sir John Gielgud and Tom Baker! The scope of the movie was epic – and I later learned it had the highest budget of any made-for-television movie AND the highest budget of any horror film up to that time.

When Richard Klemensen, editor and publisher of Little Shoppe of Horrors, offered me the opportunity to spearhead an issue of the magazine devoted entirely to Frankenstein: The True Story, I couldn’t resist the opportunity.

This movie inspired an entire generation of writers and directors, myself included. Immediately upon seeing the film, Anne Rice was directly inspired to write Interview with a Vampire – and she has contributed a foreword to the issue.

Mark Gatiss (Sherlock) is another fan who contributed an essay called “Queer Frankenstein” examining the gay subtext of the film – which was scripted by legendary gay couple Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy.

Guillermo del Toro wrote that the movie is “quirky, brilliant and moving.”

So why is this film so often forgotten? It is my mission to rectify that injustice and to present, for the very first time anywhere, a detailed analysis of the making of this groundbreaking milestone – with over twenty interviews of cast and crew, including Leonard Whiting, Jane Seymour, David McCallum and co-screenwriter Don Bachardy. Whether you are a fan or not, the adventure behind its creation is so astounding, it is an epic unto itself. Prepare to catch your jaw before it drops to the floor.

To give you just a taste of what I have uncovered during years of investigation, here is an excerpt to whet your appetite – a chapter entitled The Elsa Lanchester Crisis:

Hunt Stromberg Jr., producer of Frankenstein: The True Story, set his sights on collecting guest stars to play the various featured roles in the film. For the part of Mrs. Blair, the nosy landlady of Dr. Frankenstein – which Ingrid Bergman and Bette Davis had already turned down – Stromberg wanted a “Una O’Connor type,” referring to the quirky Irish character actress who played Minnie, the mettlesome and skittish housekeeper, in Bride of Frankenstein.

In 1942, when Universal released The Ghost of Frankenstein, critics noted that certain actors in the movie, such as Lionel Atwill and Dwight Frye, had portrayed different characters in earlier Frankenstein films, prompting the studio to issue a press release stating that it was “the custom of the studio” to bring back some of “the same faces in each succeeding feature of the Frankenstein series.”

Inspired by this hallowed tradition, Stromberg suddenly became obsessed with the idea of Mrs. Blair being portrayed by Elsa Lanchester, 70 – next-door-neighbor of Frankenstein: The True Story screenwriters Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy – who had so memorably played Mary Shelley and the female creature in Bride. Stromberg met Lanchester in early 1935 when he was just 11-years-old – when she was simultaneously shooting his father’s movie Naughty Marietta at MGM and Bride of Frankenstein at Universal – and, from then on, she’d remained a family friend. In the 1960s, when Stromberg was VP of Programming for CBS, he personally cast her as a guest star on a number of CBS shows – and, impishly, he made a habit of ending letters with this tongue-in-cheek wrap-up: “Must close now, as Elsa Lanchester has just arrived to show off her new wart.”

Though she occasionally grumbled about her fame as the Bride, in truth, Lanchester basked in the glory of her most famous role – and, in the autumn of her career, she did not shy away from spooky projects that played upon that image, including Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968), Willard (1971) and an episode of Night Gallery (1972). And she certainly had no problem adding those two familiar wavy white streaks to her frizzy mane when she guest-starred as a mad scientist on The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Brain-Killer Affair (1965) – a shameless sendup of her electrifying coiffure in Bride. That gig also introduced Lanchester to U.N.C.L.E. series regular David McCallum who would work with her again in Frankenstein: The True Storyif Stromberg had his way.

Lanchester truly wanted to do it – but, alas, she was already committed to shoot two back-to-back, low-budget horror films in Hollywood at the very same time – Terror in the Wax Museum and Arnold for Bing Crosby Productions. Gnashing his teeth, Stromberg offered to buy out Lanchester’s contract but the producers held firm. Then, he turned to his associate producer Ian Lewis and said, “My father managed to work around Bride of Frankenstein in order to get Elsa into his movie. Why can’t we figure out a way to do the same?”

Heartbroken, Lanchester honored her contract and remained Stateside to perform in two of the most forgettable films on her resume. What’s even sadder is that, after finishing those films, she didn’t work again for two-and-a-half years (until her comeback in the all-star spoof Murder by Death).

For the role of Mrs. Blair, Stromberg finally landed Agnes Moorehead, 72, who had won an Emmy, two Golden Globes, and four Oscar nominations – not to mention her iconic role as Endora, Samantha’s witch of a mother, in Bewitched (1964-1972).

As luck would have it, Moorehead knew Una O’Connor quite well, having worked with the actress in RKO’s Government Girl (1943). So, Stromberg’s directive to play Mrs. Blair as “a Una O’Connor type” was taken to heart – resulting in Moorehead affecting a thick Irish accent and hamming it up for all it was worth.

To help us celebrate the completion of this issue, events are being scheduled as though this were a book. Well, it pretty much is!

To kick things off on the West Coast, Creature Features – Taylor White’s amazing store and gallery in Burbank, California – is hosting a retrospective discussion and exhibit (of FTTS memorabilia and all the original artwork in the magazine) on Sunday, June 18, 2:00-3:30 PM, with guest panelists James Duke Mason, Julian Barnes (supporting actor in the film), Denise Mellé (widow of the film’s composer Gil Mellé), artist Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series) and yours truly. Limited edition prints, signed and numbered, of the cover mural artwork by Mark Maddox will be on sale exclusively at the Creature Features store/gallery and website.

On the weekend of June 23-25, LSoH editor Dick Klemensen, cover artist Mark Maddox, interior artist Neil D. Vokes and I will be attending the Monster Bash Convention near Pittsburgh, PA, to meet, greet and drumbeat the issue.

Then, it’s on to Manhattan where Dread Central & Forbidden Planet are co-presenting a FREE screening and discussion of Frankenstein: The True Story at the Quad Cinema, 34 West 13th Street, New York, NY 10011, on Tuesday, June 27, 6:00-10:00 PM, hosted by legendary Tony Timpone (former editor of Fangoria). A unique 16mm print will be projected with everything from the original telecast, plus extra seconds of censored footage only seen in the foreign theatrical release. Guest panelists will include Alec Smight (son of the late Jack Smight, director of Frankenstein: The True Story), Philippe Spurrell (founder of Cinéclub/Film Society of Montreal; curator of this unique 16mm print), James Anthony Phillips (who wrote the sidebar on Gil Melle’s score for the issue) and, again, yours truly.

And, finally, on Thursday, June 29, from 6:00-8:00 PM, I will be signing copies of the magazine and chatting up a storm at Forbidden Planet, 832 Broadway, New York, NY 10003, thanks to the store’s intrepid manager / gore guru Matt Desiderio.

I look forward to seeing you at these special events and/or communicating with you on my Facebook page. I hope you enjoy the issue! It has been the ultimate labor-of-love.

The store signing at Forbidden Planet will be followed by a Midnight screening of the film PARASITES (executive produced and co-starring Robert “Corpsy” Rhine) as part of the NYC Horror Film Festival at the Chelsea Cinepolis Movie Theater (260 West 23rd Street, NYC)

Veteran horror director Jeff Lieberman, creator of cult classics including SQUIRM, BLUE SUNSHINE and JUST BEFORE DAWN, has joined the growing list of horror celebrities who have come on board the signing event for FANGORIA: COVER TO COVER at New York City’s Forbidden Planet (832 Broadway near Union Square; [212] 473-1576). The event will take place this Thursday, April 2 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Lieberman’s films also include the sardonic Halloween horror film SATAN’S LITTLE HELPER, the alien-invasion-via-video opus REMOTE CONTROL and the mad-science TV movie DOCTOR FRANKEN. Appearing with him will be genre all-stars such as: splatter king Tom Savini; BASKET CAST, BRAIN DAMAGE and FRANKENHOOKER auteur Frank Henenlotter; legendary FAMOUS MONSTERS cover artist Basil Gogos; Larry Fessenden (director of THE LAST WINTER, HABIT, WENDIGO); Debbie Rochon (actress, Fango columnist and former host of Sirius’ much-missed FANGORIA RADIO); and screenwriter/playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (CARRIE and THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN, Broadway shows SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK and upcoming AMERICAN PSYCHO). In addition, staffers Tony Timpone, Thomas DeFeo, Michael Gingold, W.R. Mohalley and Ken Hanley will be on hand to sign as well. Copies of FANGORIA: COVER TO COVER will be available for purchase, but autographs will be free, as they should be! (Please note, celebs will be signing the book only.)

The one and only Frank Henenlotter has been added to Forbidden Planet’s Fangoria Cover to Cover event this Thursday April 2nd at 6PM!

Come down and meet a ton amazing genre personalities or pre-order signed copies from our web-store. http://www.fpnyc.com/Fangoria-Cover-To-Cover-HC/9781587674501/Books

Sounds like a win win!

Cult movie filmmaker Frank Henenlotter—the notorious director behind BASKET CASE, FRANKENHOOKER, BRAIN DAMAGE and BAD BIOLOGY—has joined the growing list of horror celebrities who have come onboard the New York City Forbidden Planet (832 Broadway near Union Square; [212] 473-1576) signing of FANGORIA: COVER TO COVER. The event will take place on Thursday, April 2nd (next week!) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Besides directing some of the wildest independent horror films of all time, Henenlotter won kudos for his archival work with distributor Something Weird and helming the much-praised documentaries HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS: THE GODFATHER OF GORE and THAT’S SEXPLOITATION! His latest film, a caper picture called CHASING BANKSY, debuts later this year.

Appearing with Henenlotter will be genre all-stars such as: splatter king Tom Savini; legendary FAMOUS MONSTERS cover artist Basil Gogos; Larry Fessenden (director of THE LAST WINTER, HABIT, WENDIGO); Debbie Rochon (actress, Fango columnist and former host of Sirius’ much-missed FANGORIA RADIO); and screenwriter and playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (CARRIE and THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN, Broadway shows SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK and upcoming AMERICAN PSYCHO). In addition, staffers Tony Timpone, Thomas DeFeo, Michael Gingold, W.R. Mohalley and Ken Hanley will be on hand to sign as well. Copies of FANGORIA: COVER TO COVER will be available for purchase, but all autographs will be free, as they should be!

Scream great Tom Savini—one of the terror talents most associated with the long history of FANGORIA—has joined the growing list of horror celebrities who have come onboard the FANGORIA: COVER TO COVER Book Signing at New York City’s Forbidden Planet (832 Broadway near Union Square; [212] 473-1576). The event will take place on Thursday, April 2nd from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“Tom Savini has been a presence in the pages of FANGORIA, and in the hearts of horror fans, since the first issue of the magazine,” says former Fango editor Tony Timpone, who edited FANGORIA: COVER TO COVER. “It will be an honor to welcome Savini at our first-ever book store signing on the East Coast. We are thrilled that Tom will be sitting with us and meeting with Fango’s faithful followers.”

Appearing with Savini will be genre all-stars such as: legendary FAMOUS MONSTERS cover artist Basil Gogos; Larry Fessenden (director of THE LAST WINTER, HABIT, WENDIGO); Debbie Rochon (actress, Rondo-nominated Fango columnist and former host of Sirius’ much-missed FANGORIA RADIO); and screenwriter and playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (CARRIE and THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN, SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK and upcoming AMERICAN PSYCHO on Broadway). In addition, staffers Timpone, Thomas DeFeo, Michael Gingold, W.R. Mohalley and Ken Hanley will be on hand to autograph. Copies of FANGORIA: COVER TO COVER book will be available for purchase and signing by all of our guests, and all signatures will be free of charge, like it should be!

More special guests will be added, so keep checking back. Please come on out and help FANGORIA celebrate its amazing 35-year-old run on April 2nd in NYC at Forbidden Planet, located in the bloody heart of Union Square.

Join the Fangoria crew at Forbidden Planet in celebration of the release of Fangoria Cover To Cover, their new over-sized hardcover coffee table book published by Cemetery Dance!

So come down to Forbidden Planet Thursday April 2nd at 6PM for the Fangoria Cover To Cover Singing and get your copy autographed by Thomas DeFeo, Tony Timpone, W.R. Mohalley, Michael Gingold, and Ken Hanley! Plus you never know what surprise celebrity guests the Fango crew will have in tow so keep your eyes glued to both the Forbidden Planet and Fangoria websites and various social media outlets for more announcements.

Since 1979, Fangoria magazine has been the bible for horror fans worldwide. Combining first-rate writing, reporting with unparalleled expertise on the fright-film genre, and eye-popping color photos, Fango has set a standard and become a name recognized by anyone who knows and loves scary cinema. One of the signature elements of the magazine has always been the eye-catching and controversial covers that have grabbed the attention of readers everywhere for the past three decades.

Fangoria: Cover to Cover is a lavish, oversized, and full color hardcover book that celebrates the magazine’s long history and the genre it reports on, reproducing every one of those terrifying covers in stunning full color and providing a history of modern horror cinema that has been thirty years in the making. This special edition volume collects a wealth of information, trivia, frightening photos, and every legendary cover of this acclaimed magazine, serving as a celebration of horror and a “coffee table” book that readers will turn to time and time again.

A Cemetery Dance Publications exclusive hardcover edition, there are no other editions planned anywhere in the world at this time!

Can’t make it to Forbidden Planet’s Fangoria Cover To Cover Event on April 2nd? As usual we’ve made it so you can reap the benefits from the comfort of your couch. Pre-order copies of Fangoria Cover To Cover from www.fpnyc.com and Forbidden Planet will get it signed by all attendees before we ship it (FREE SHIPPING in the USA!) direct to you after our event.

I love Chris Ware. Bit redundant to say so this holiday season with everyone and their sister buying Building Stories, but with so much comic awesomeness that happened in 2012; between Charles Burn’s second installment to his X’ed Out trilogy, The Hive, and Brian K. Vaughn’s Saga…SAGA… It’s too easy for amazing comics to get lost in the stacks, so I’m here to give my somewhere around the number 10 best comics of 2012 that nobody told you about…

LOSE #4

Michael DeForge might be the most prolific cartoonist working right now. He pumps more work and at a higher quality that would make any other cartoonist want to quit, or work harder…..no quit thats the correct response. On top of Lose #4 this year you can also see his work in the pages of Adventure Time comics, where he does the backgrounds,variant covers, anthology stories in Nobrow 7 (more on that in a bit) and the newest KUS, not to mention his on going serial Ant Comics, oh and his porn comic that he designs that features work by Johnny Negron, Brandon Graham, and Jillian Tamaki….more on all of them latter too…Bottom line, DeForge has a hand in everything and you’re probably a fan of his already, so read Lose, or Ant comics, or KUS, or Nobrow, or one of the million other things he worked on this year. King of comics 2012 goes to DeForge, no contest.

The Underwater Welder

Did I mention that DeForge is Canadian? Canadians….must be a universal sigh when cartoonist’s who aren’t Canadian talk about them. Jeff Lemire is another cartoonist hailing from The Great White North. Lemire had a full year of releases with Sweet Tooth Volume 4 and 5, the reprinting of his Xeric grant book Lost Dogs and Underwater Welder. Underwater Welder is for lovers of well paced, clear story telling, and theTwilight Zone. Lemire has an economy to his comics, the art is quick yet purposeful in the same manner as the writing, which rewards the reader with a world that they can envelope themselves in. Lemire is an odd school of cartooning, he’s not so deep into independent styled comics as DeForge, but he isn’t mainstream either (though he does write the only two books at DC still worth readingAnimal Man, & Frankenstein Agent of Shade). He’s a cartoonist in love with genre but doesn’t mistake comics to be only that.

Nipper Volume 3

Nipper Volume 3 finally came out! WOOOOOOO! I might be the only American to love Nipper so go buy it and prove my gross presumption wrong. Keeping in theme with brilliant Canadian cartoonists, Nipper volume 3 is the Canadian version of Family Circus, if Family Circus was anything like a real family and not so adorable that even your grandmother finds it lame. Always silent, black and white line work with one beautiful saturation of red dropped into each panel, Doug Wright creates multi-layered story telling, in the most simple yet still incredible complicated drawing. Just go look already, and then come meet me for coffee to talk about it, I’ll be here till next year trying to describe why it’s so effffffing smart.

Diary Comics 4

Dustin Harbin is yet another broken hearted cartoonist, upset that his nationality isn’t Canadian. Diary Comics 4 starts with Dustin talking about how amazing it is to be in attendance at the Doug Wright rewards (the Canadian version of the Eisners), and how he wishes we as American could take comics as seriously as they do. Why can’t we folks? Dustin’s beautifully minimalist drawings deceive readers with their simplicity, when they are really just the right amount of information needed, each mark done with purpose in mind and simply decroative. Go read em’ they’re good. And if your not a fan of memoir, you just like the punching and kicking comics, he did letter Casanovasooo…..I don’t know Matt Fraction wrote Iron Man for like a century right? See the full picture of creators not just the characters you like….

Pope Hat #3

Pope Hat #3 by Ethan Rilly. Rilly is surprise surprise, another Canadian. Pope Hats is technically 3 issues deep but you really only need/want two and three. In Pope Hats Rilly tells the story of Franny, a young law clerk at a massive law firm, picture Wall Street with less Charlie Sheen….okay no Charlie Sheen, just that one part where he gets punched in the face by Michael Douglas… Rilly drawings show traces of his influences but they don’t unhinge the story. You can see traces of Doug Wright’s drapery in the clothing, and bits of Shultz popping up in the rendering of grass and clouds. It’s like a love letter to days past when cartooning was a profession and getting a weekly strip in a newspaper was the dream. Pope Hats narrative shares a similar tone of nostalgia with its drawing, that bitter sweet pain, from an old wound.

That’s right. We’re discounting EVERYTHING in our store on Wednesday, July 4th. We don’t do this often (maybe once a year… maybe), so come on by and take advantage!

Plus, this year the 4th of July falls on a Wednesday… New Comics Day! A ton of great new comics and graphic novels are scheduled to come out that day, and you’ll be able to apply the discount to all of ’em to boot.

Please note, store hours will be 9am-9pm that day, rather than the usual Wednesday 9am-12am.

UPDATE: Mail order customers, be sure to be on our email list (you can join in the upper right-hand corner of this page) before Tuesday July 3rd. That day we’ll be sending out a code for extra discounts on our webstore!

I Love Bad Movies Issue Number 5 hit the FP shelves late last night and they’re already selling like hotcakes… hotcakes filled with essays, reviews and illustrations about some of our favorite bad movies that is!

Ever wonder what Sharon Stone did with the Amish or what movie features Orson Welles in his final role? In this issue, writers, artists, comedians and film nerds investigate the most entertaining bad movies made by all the big stars — either before they were known, or after they should have stopped.

I LOVE BAD MOVIES: VOLUME FIVE
– A collaborative project featuring the work of 29 artists and writers
– 28 funny, insightful, celebratory and/or mocking essays
– More than 70 pages of written content
– Beautiful color glossy cover stock
– Interview with Alex Winter of Death Wish 3!
– Illustrations and weird film stills for each movie
– Theme: “Before and After They Were Famous” or, “Early and Late Roles”

LUNCHMEAT is extremely proud to present one of the most amazing and obscure shot-on-video flicks ever to be laid to tape!! This SATURDAY, JANUARY 21st, at the hour of MIDNIGHT hoist your keister off the couch and get on down to SPECTACLE THEATER to experience the shot-on-video insanity that is AMERICA’S DEADLIEST HOME VIDEO! Feast your eyes on the UNCUT VHS PRINT and witness a lovelorn man named Doug (played by Danny Bonaduce PRE-STEROIDS! WHAT?!), and his trusty VHS video camera set out on an adventure across country, but when he runs into a gang of miscreant criminals, Doug finds himself wrapped in a slimy web of robbery, murder and sadism. Will Doug survive these misanthropic thugs and their suicidal lifestyle?! Will he get the girl?! Will he run out of batteries?!!You’ll have to watch this amazing piece of video obscurity to find out! Dig it, tapeheads!!

The Spectacle Theatre is located at 124 South 3rd & Bedford Ave in Brooklyn, NY! Check out Spectacle’s site for more info and take a look at all the other rad stuff they’re doing! I’ll be there watching, hanging, snacking and slinging some LUNCHMEAT goodies, so come on out get VHS-ified! Hope to see you there, Videovores!

The new issue of Lunchmeat is now available at Forbidden Planet, in store and on the web! If you don’t know Lunchmeat than you don’t know VHS. The first and only all VHS magazine! So grab Lunchmeat #6 now!

We’ve stacked the slimy slices o’ cinema high in LM # 6 serving up in-depth reviews of hard-to-find VHS-only flicks such as Blue Blood, America’s Deadliest Home Video, Rockula, and Desert Snow along with a slew of other blood-encrusted video vittles to chew on! Also skulking around in this issue we’ve got an interview with Daniel Roebuck where he spills his guts about his experience working on Penelope Spheeris’ cult-classic punk rock road flick Dudes! Director extraordinaire Gene Quintano gives us the skinny on how 3D films pounced on audiences across the world in the early 80s, and Lunchmeat is absolutely thrilled to present an interview with cult cinema hero George Stover as he details the history of one of the most amazing fanzines you may have never heard of: CINEMACABRE!

Also on the menu for LM # 6, we’ve got Heather Drain expounding on the cavorting and carnality soaked teen sex comedies of the home video era and, as always, we’re serving up Rob Hauschild’s dumpster diving dish: Tapes from the Trash Bin! Still hungry?! That’s what we like to hear!

For all you voracious Videovores out there we’ll take you for a weird and wild ride in the LM time-machine as we explore the sprawling and screwy history of Interactive VHS Gaming! Oh, and did we mention the crossword puzzle where you can win prizes? ‘Cause you know that’s in there, too! Try your might and snatch some groovy prizes from The Crossword Troll’s grimy fingers! What other toothsome treats await you in Lunchmeat # 6? Guess you’ll have to grab one, before it grabs you! Hooooo-Haaaah!!

Matt D. (your gregarious host) and Morgan Pielli (your intrepid cameraman and director) took a trip to this year’s New York Comic Con. The sights! The sounds! The…smells! It’s a sensory overload, and you just never know when inspiration will strike..!

One of the newest books to come into the store is the collected PS Magazine: Best Preventive Maintenance Monthly HC featuringing none other than Mr. Eisner himself! Written and drawn during his time in the army, this collection is a must for the glove box of every tank, jet, or NORAD.